BRI GOES TO THE 6TH GRADE!!!

OH HAPPY DAY, BRIANA PASSED HER TEST TO GO INTO THE 6TH GRADE...Don't get me wrong, I knew my "babycakes" would be just fine...but still...I'm very happy she passed the test. Bri has been kinda lazy, just hit and miss with her studying. The one thing you notice right away being in India is the PUSH for education excellence, PUSH, PUSH ...who won the national spelling bee in the states? An Indian kid...Yeah, they definitely have the "eye of the tiger" when it comes to competition in education, and these American kids better get with the program. Yeah, the first day of school is June 9th, and I guess Bri will get a good two days in before we take off on vacation, but I will get her caught up. I had to promise guitar lessons for drilling her in math, and this time MOM IS SERIOUS. I THINK I WILL ALSO ENROLL BRI IN HINDI CLASSES. That is the national language of India. (She will fight that kicking and screaming, but I'm gonna win that battle also. Hehehehe.) In the American school (which she was not able to enroll in...she would have been forced to take a foreign language, I think French or Spanish... Oh well, I think Hindi is more difficult, and our security guards all speak Hindi, so TA-DA, she can get great practice.

Oh yeah, I can't forget...today my PUMPKIN turns 46, HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANKIE!

THE EGYPT PLAN

HERE'S OUR EGYPTIAN ITINERARY PLAN...I REALLY NEED SOMETHING TO GET MY MIND OFF OF CRAZINESS, LIKE BUSTING A MOVE TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE TO SAVE ALL OF MY FROZEN GOODS WHEN THESE ELECTRICIANS GET HERE..SO HERE IS THE PLAN...JOHN DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE TRIP. HE SAYS HE DOESN'T WANT TO KNOW, HE'S JUST GETTING ON A PLANE. BOY DO I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR HIM.

DAY 1: FLY FROM CHENNAI TO MUMBAI (BOMBAY) AND FROM THERE WE ARRIVE IN CAIRO, YES WE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING... HEAD TO THE PYRAMIDS AND THE SPHINX...(GOTTA GET BRI AND ASHLEY TO DO A LITTLE STUDYING WHY THE NOSE IS CHIPPED OFF, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN...) VISIT A PAPYRUS FACTORY, PERFUME FACTORY (JOHN IS INTO COLOGNE) AND A JEWELLRY SHOP....(CAN A GIRL GET TOO MUCH JEWELRY.. NAAAHHH).

DAY 2: ON TO ASWAN...JUMP ON ANOTHER PLANE AND FLY TO ABU SIMBEL TOUR (NEFERTARI)...NOW DON'T ANYBODY TELL JOHN ABOUT THIS, HE THINKS HE'S JUST GONNA BE ON A TOUR BUS OR SOMETHING...THEN WE BOARD THE NILE FOR A CRUISE....ASWAN TOUR.

DAY 3...CRUISIN' ...ON TO KOM OMBO (THE HOME OF SOBEK, THE CROCODILE god.)...THEN ON TO EDFU...(THIS PLACE IS LISTED IN THE "501 MUST-V ISIT DESTINATIONS BOOK"...AS WELL AS THE PYRAMIDS AND SPHINX AND MT. SINAI...SO GEEZ, LOUISE...LET ME GO SEE IT, RIGHT...I MUST SEE IT.

DAY 4: WE ARE STILL CRUSIN'...WHO WAS IT THAT SANG THAT CRUISE SONG? MARVIN GAYE?? YOU KNOW, "BABY LET'S CRUISE, AWAY FROM HEEEEERRRREE..." TODAY WE SHOULD REACH LUXOR. NO, WE ARE NOT DOING THE HOT AIR BALOON RIDE HERE BECAUSE OF BRIANA. WE WENT UP IN A HOT AIR BALOON IN SEDONA ARIZONA ONCE, AND BRI RUINED THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE...I'LL JUST LEAVE IT THERE. ANYWAYS, WE SHOULD VISIT THE TEMPLE OF QUEEN HATSCHEPSUT, THE COLOSSI OF MEMNON, AND THE TEMPLE OF AMENHOTEP III. I HAVE TO GOT TO START READING UP ON ALL THESE PLACES, GET THE KIDS READIN' TOO, YA KNOW.

DAY 5: ON TO CAIRO, SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW AT THE GIZA PYRAMINDS...SEEMS LIKE THERE WAS A SCENE HERE WITH JAMES BOND. DON'T YOU REMEMBER "JAWS" COMING OUT WHEN THE LASER LIGHTS WENT OUT AND BITING SOMEONE IN THE NECK? WHERE ARE MY JAMES BOND FANS??? I'M REALLY CONFUSED TOO. WE MIGHT BE FLYING TO SHARM EL SHEIK, WHATEVER.

DAY 6: ON TO SHARM EL SHEIK...THIS CITY IS ON THE RED SEA. SOME OF THE BEST DEEP SEA DIVING IS HERE, JAQUE COUSTEAU WOULD ALWAYS DIVE HERE. WELL, WE AIN'T DIVING, BUT SNORKELING HERE IS AWESOME, AND I'M GONNA BE READY. I THINK WE WILL JUST HANG ON THE BEACH SNORKEL, CHILL...I HAVEN'T TOLD JOHN YET, BUT WE HAVE TO GET UP AT 1:00 A.M. AND HEAD FOR MOUNT SINAI...AN UNBELIEVABLE DREAM.

DAY 7. SUNRISE TOUR OF MOUNT SINAI. WE HAVE TO GO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BECAUSE IT WILL BE GETTING REALLY, REALLY HOT THERE AS WELL. THIS IS WHERE MOSES RECEIVED THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW AWSOME THIS WILL BE, SO AWSOME. NEVER IN MY LIFE DID I THINK I WOULD BE SETTING FOOT IN AFRICA, NEVER DID I THINK I COULD SWIM IN THE RED SEA...UNBELIEVABLE. HERE IS SOME MORE INFO ABOUT THIS TOUR:

On this sunrise tour you have the chance to watch the sun rise over the Sinai Mountains. The descent is not too steep however there are about five hundred or so steps at the very summit. Legend has it that you will be retracing the footsteps of Moses who climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.
On your journey back down the mountain you will stop at St Catherine's Monastery, situated at the base of the mountain. Built between 527 and 565 AD, it is believed to be built around Moses' Burning Bush. The monastery is named after St Catherine who was tortured and beheaded for her Christian beliefs. During your visit you will see chapel Greek orthodox church, the icons of worship and the famous Mosaic of Transfiguration.

WE SHOULD GET BACK IN THE AFTERNOON TO CHILL OUT, MAYBE RIDE 4 WHEELS INTO THE DESERT...

DAY 8: JOHN IS IN FOR IT AGAIN...HA. HERE IS THE JEEP SAFARI, SNORKEL, CAMEL RIDE AND BEDOUIN LUNCH...HE MIGHT NOT GO IF I TOLD HIM HE HAD TO GO ON A 2 HOUR CAMEL RIDE INTO THE DESERT...

Start your day with a 2 hour jeep safari on the 240 kilometer trip from Sharm to the amazing colored canyon. Keep your eyes open for the local wildlife including Nubian Ibex, Red Foxes and Striped Hyenas.
Snorkeling the gardens of reef at the Blue Hole, arguably Egypt's most famous dive spot where a shaft a meter under the water's surface plunges to the depth of around 80 meters. You will have around 30 minutes of snorkeling.
Take a camel ride through the Egyptian desert before enjoying a traditional Bedouin lunch. The camel ride lasts for approximately 1.5 hours.
Travel to the Bedouin village of Dahab for an afternoon of shopping delights. Here you will find a large selection of souvenirs such as papyrus prints, brass lamps, jewelry, perfumes, leathers and inlaid boxes, all at prices generally cheaper than in Sharm el Sheikh. You will have 45 minutes to 1 hour to search out a bargain.

DAY 9: FLY BACK TO CAIRO, ON TO THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES THEN TO KHAN EL KHALILI MARKET (BOY, JUST LET ME GET TO SHOPPING AND BARGAINING OVER PRICES)...CHILL OUT...THEN ON TO THE AIRPORT...

DAY 10: FLY HOME....(IT'S FUNNY TO START CALLING THIS PLACE HOME, BUT I GUESS IT IS NOW. (VEE-DAY COO POPE-A) THAT'S THE PHONETIC SPELLIING FOR, TO GO HOME. TAMIL IS A VERY DIFFICULT LANGUAGE. ONE DAY I MAY TAKE A CLASS TO SPEAK IT BETTER, BUT RIGHT NOW, I'M DOING OKAY.

JOHN GETS TO REST ONE DAY...THEN HE'S OFF TO ENGLAND.

SO, LORD'S WILL, THAT IS OUR SUMMER PLAN...THEN JUDY AND DOROTHY WILL COME VISIT ME...RIGHT??

IT'S ALL WHITE...JAMES BROWN, WE STILL NEED YOU

IT'S HOT-HOT-HOT HERE, AND I JUST DON'T MEAN THE WEATHER...I GOT MAD READING THE NEWSPAPER YESTERDAY. THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE INDIAN EXPRESS, MAY 21, 2008, "FRONT PAGE", ON RACISM IN INDIA. QUOTE: "IT'S ALL WHITE: TWO BLACK MEMBERS OF THIS CHEERLEADING TEAM WERE ALLEGEDLY ASKED TO LEAVE THE STADIUM IN MOHALI...DARK GIRLS OF PUNJAB TEAM WERE ORDERED OFF FIELD IN APRIL..." THESE BLACK CHEERLEADERS WERE ON A SQUAD FROM LONDON (ELLISHA NEWTON AND SHERINNE ANDERSON). QUOTE: "SHERINNE AND ELLESHA TOLD ME [JORGE ALDANA, THEIR DIRECTOR] THAT A GUY FROM WIZCRAFT HAD FORBIDDEN THEM FROM ENTERING THE GROUND. THEY (WIEPL) SAID PEOPLE DON'T LIKE DARK GIRLS HERE." THE ARTLICLE GOES ON..."ALL THEY WANT IS BIGOTRY, LIGHT-SKINNED BRIDES IN MATRIMONIAL ADS, FAIRNESS CREAMS, CASTE-BASED APARTHEID, THE FINANCIAL MUSCLES OF THE BCCI (whatever that is) TO SWEAR 'TERI MAA KI' AND 'MONKEY' IN THE SAME BREATH, AND EXPLANATIONS DESIGNED TO INTERPRET RACIST BEHAVIOR BY INDIANS AS ANYTHING BUT THAT"...
YEAH, I'M SEEING RED. I THINK I WILL GO SWIM A FEW LAPS.
THE ELECTRICIANS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE AGAIN TOMORROW TO GET THE AIR CONDITIONERS "STRAIGHT", AND THE POWER MAY BE OFF FOR TWO DAYS. GUESS WE MAY BE HEADING FOR A HOTEL.

I'M EXHAUSTED

JOHN HAD ME DOWNLOAD PRINCE'S GREATEST HITS, SO ...PURPLE RAIN HAS BEEN POURING THROUGH MY HEAD. I'M EXHAUSTED, 11 YEARS OF OUR LIFE POURED OUT OF THE SEA CRATE INTO THIS HOUSE...AND IT'S FINALLY COMING TOGETHER. I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN STAND IT RIGHT NOW. MY BREAKING POINT CAME WHEN I FOUND A BOX THAT I OPENED AND DISCOVERED IT WAS A BOX FROM MY MOTHER'S HOUSE, LIKE A TIME CAPSULE FROM RIGHT BEFORE SHE DIED...A LOT OF MEDICAL THINGS...A LOT OF PAIN.
IT FEELS GOOD TO HAVE A LOT OF PERSONAL "STUFF" AROUND AGAIN. IT'S FUNNY HOW WE BOND WITH THINGS...PICTURES, PILLOWS, FAVORITE MUGS...IT FEELS GOOD. I'M REALLY SLEEPY..."I ONLY WANT TO SEE YOU LAUGHING IN THE PURPLE RAIN..."

THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME...

Well,
The moment of truth has finally come. Our FURNITURE will be delivered tomorrow. I'm at a loss for words...tears welled up in my eyes, my heart began pounding...LORD, JUST LET ME SLEEP ON MY TEMPERPEDIC MATTRESS ONE MORE TIME...Do you know how bad it can be sleeping on an air mattress for weeks? After my hip popped out, it never healed properly on that crazy bed. John would get up, I would roll to the center...
The electrician is here trying to wire the house so that the tv's will work. Stephanie (truly an angel in disguise) came to my rescue. I totally crashed and burned this week. We got the email stating that Briana would not be admitted to the American International School, and I exploded. Naturally Bri watched me explode and you know that the "apple doesn't fall too far from the tree"...well BRI exploeded. She wanted to go home...I told her I didn't blame her. She ran to her room, threw all of her clothes into her suitcase ...it went downhill from there. We had both worked ourselves up into a tizzy and Stephanie rescued me. She took me to lunch, calmed me down, showed me another international school, took me to the OWC meeting as her guest (Overseas Women's Club). It's going to be all right.

PERRY IS A SUPERSTAR******

Anybody that knows Perry knows that he has a heart of gold. He's always got a twinkle in his eye, and will let you know in a second "don't let the grey hair fool you"... Well, my sister Dorothy emailed me with Perry's latest accomplishments, and I just had to share them with you.

Here goes:

"Perry got inducted into the Lakeland College Hall of Fame for his outstanding record with basketball. He was the first All- American recipient at Lakeland in 1973. I took pictures of his banner with Sweet Pea, 1973 on it. He received a plaque and he'll have his name carved into the wall of the gym there. It was a nice banquet, and I'm very proud of him. He scored over 1500 points in one season with an average of 26 points per game. "

---Dorothy----

We're proud of you too, Perry. Lord knows if Dorothy could just step off the plane with a pan of your BBQ ribs, I'd be in hog heaven...but I understand. Just send a picture or two of the banquet and that will suffice.

FEELING KIND OF SALTY...

Yesterday,
I cooked breakfast for John and the girls (as usual). I laid out slices of bread, buttered them up, fried them in a pan, did the oatmeal, egg thing. Anyway, I guess one of my daughters, who shall remain nameless, entered the kitchen later straightening up a little. Unbeknownst to me she threw extra bread that had been taken out of the package and not put back in the wrapper into the garbage can.
Well, the maid came in to clean, looked into the trash can and called me..."Madame, look madam" as she reached into the trash can. "This bread, waste Madame...my children..." I felt the sting...I felty "salty". I immediately went to the refrigerator and gave her the rest of the loaf of bread. I sat it on the counter top. Later in the morning after she left, I saw that she had put the bread back into the refrigerator. I went to talk to my daughter about this...about the food prices going up everywhere, about the hungry children here in India...about waste. Can't we all hear this saying from our mothers..."clean your plate, there are children starving in Africa.."
In times like these, there are children starving everywhere, including the good ol' USA.
Anyway, the point was made.

Today we went out for breakfast, got there too late, and had to wait for lunch. That's the thing about India, no later Saturday breakfasts here, they shut down at about 10:00 a.m. So, to kill time me and the girls went to this parlor and had our eyebrows "threaded". OH MY GOSH!!! I was tearing up from the pain. Don't get me wrong, my brows looked great when they finished, but it was like someone grabbing the tweezers and pulling out 20 hairs at one time.

Last night John told us he is going to England to be in a forum and speak around 40 minutes. I can't believe it...I'm so proud of him. (I wanna go too...but that ain't happenin'). Life is moving so fast for us. We have booked out trip to Egypt for June 12th, and I will fill you all in with the details later. Gotta go now, Ash wants to go work out. We joined this cool spa at the Asiana Hotel. (The things I do to keep these kids happy).